Ash's Hogwarts Adventure: Year 1
by I.C.2014
Summary: Takes place shortly after Ash's Sinnoh journey ends. Ash gets a letter that definitely surprises her. More information inside. Reviews appreciated please!
1. Chapter 1

Summary: A Harry Potter/ Pokémon crossover that I've been thinking about. In this story, Ash is a girl and she had just finished her journey in Sinnoh. (NOTE: I honestly have no idea what kind of time line of Ash's journey the creators of Pokemon are keeping where the original Ash did all of that and is still ten years old but… I decided that he finished those other journeys while he was still ten to make more sense of it.) Pokemon will be integrated into Hogwarts somehow. I am not sure what house I should put Ash in, I will put a vote and people will tell me.

It was early in the morning and a woman in her mid-thirties was standing in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. The woman sighed while looking at a nearby clock. 'It's already pretty late in the morning, the woman, Delia thought to herself. She then looked towards her left, where she could see a flight of stairs. Delia shook her head. 'Ash isn't even up yet.'

"Pika pi!" a yellow mouse pokémon jumped onto the kitchen counter. Delia sighed._ 'Here we go again.'_ She petted the pokémon. "Pikachu, can you please make sure that Ash gets out of bed?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu answered in agreement. The electric mouse ran up the stairs and into the closest bedroom. Inside, on top of a bed, a large lump laid under the covers. The lumped turned over, causing the covers to reveal the head of Pikachu's trainer, Ash Ketchum. Pikachu jumped onto the bed and smiled; now it was time to strike.

A high pitched scream could be heard from downstairs. Dellia smiled fondly. "Looks like Ash is up now." _'Which i__s __good. I __wouldn't __want __her __to __sleep __through __her __own __birthday.'_

Ash Ketchum woke up finally, all thanks to one of Pikachu's thunderbolt. She looked at her friend while she finished putting her fingerless gloves on. "Ready buddy?"

"Pika!" Pikachu smiled and jumped on Ash's shoulder. She jogged down the stairs and sat down at the table. Delia smiled and put the last dish on the table. "Happy birthday Ash!" Delia yelled.

Ash grinned. "Thanks mom!" The girl and practically jumped on her breakfast and joyously ate. Pikachu jumped on the table and eagerly helped itself to a bowl of poké food. "Pika!" Pikachu said, as if to also thank the woman.

"You're welcome dear," Delia said. At that moment, a Mr. Mime entered the living room with a box and gave it to her. "This is for you," she said.

Ash gently took the bag. "Thanks mom!" She quickly opened the big box and pulled out the green messenger bag she received. There was also a set outfit with a white and blue hat with a pokéball symbol on the front of it. There was a short blue vest, a black tank top with a single blue stripe and a pair of black, cargo pants. Delia smiled as she held up a pair of brand new black and red sneakers.

"These are for whatever journey you may begin again," Delia explained.

Ash got up and hugged her. "Thanks mom!"

Delia hugged her back. "You're welcome," she said. "Now go upstairs and change. I want to see if it fits before we go celebrate at Professor Oaks lab."

Ash eagerly nodded and ran up the stairs to try on her new outfit, almost as if to make the party happen faster by changing as quickly as possible.

At that moment Delia heard a clanking on one of the widows. She eyed the pokémon curiously.

"I wonder what a Delibird is doing around here?" Delia asked herself absently. Delia quickly prepared a ball of food before she walked over to the window to let the delivery pokémon. It jumped on top of the table and handed Delia a letter before it ate the food enthusiastically. Delia studied the letter in her hand. It was addressed to her daughter.

"I'm ready now!" Ash called as she came down the stairs. The smile on her face quickly tuned into a frown of confusion when she noticed the Delibird. "Where'd Delibird come from?" she asked.

"I don't know," her mother answered, "but it came with this letter for you."

Ash looked at the letter. It was definitely addressed to her and had her correct address here in Pallet Town written in black ink but the letter seemed incredibly strange.

For one thing, the letter was addressed specifically to "the kitchen"; almost as if the person who wrote it knew for sure that she was going to be there at this particular time. Another thing that Ash noticed was the strange crest that was on the right top corner of the letter. The crest had a lion, snake, some sort of bird and a badger. There were all of these different colors and everything along with a word written on top of the crest _'I wonder what Hogwarts is though?'_ Ash thought as she opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. Ash quickly read it once. Then she read it again, a little slower this time. And then she had to read it again. It took the fourth try for Ash to realize that she wasn't completely misunderstanding the letter; it was just as crazy as it sounded.

Delia noticed the way Ash responded to the letter. "What is it Ash?" In response, Ash handed Delia the letter. When she read the letter any semblance of a smile disappeared

"Dear Ms. Ketchum," Delia read on. "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a lists of all necessary books and equipment."

"Please ensure that the utmost attention be made to the list of requirements attached herewith. We very much look forward to receiving you as part of the new generation of Hogwart's heritage. Term begins on September 1. We await your letter by no later than July 31, yours sincerely, Professor McGonagall." Delia felt another piece of paper move from behind the letter she was reading. Delia looked at the second sheet.

"This looks like a list of supplies. Cauldron…"

"Mom!" Ash yelled, gesturing at the letter. "Can't you see how crazy this all sounds? Someone is probably is playing some of joke on us-"

"It's not a joke," Delia told her daughter in a serious manner. It effectively stopped the girl's mini- tirade. "This is real."

"But mom," Ash asked seriously, "how do you know that it's real?"

Delia looked extremely sad. "Your father... he went to school there... he told me before he...," she said, trailing off.

_'Before he disappeared,'_ Ash thought. The silence became very solemn. Ash didn't need the sentence to be finished to understand the meaning. If this school had anything to do with her father, she knew that she had to believe her mother.

Pikachu looked at his trainer, confused by the sudden seriousness that followed. "Pika pi!" He jumped in front of her, hoping to cheer his "Pika- pi" up.

Delia flashed a smile she didn't feel. _'No need to ruin this day for her.'_ "Hey, why don't you go visit the Professor in his lab for a while? You can visit your other pokémon and I think Gary is back from his studies. We'll have the party later tonight."

Ash smiled. "That's true!"

"Pikachu!" The electric mouse pokémon jumped on Ash's shoulder. The girl ran out of the house to visit the resident Professor.

Delia's smile disappeared. She looked at the letter with a almost nostalgic and sad expression. _'I can't even mention you to our daughter without wanting to cry...'_ She thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone,

I know that I put another chapter two already, but there was a mix up. I ended up not uploading the final draft. Anyway, this is it. Hope everyone enjoys.

* * *

><p>The party took place at Professor Oak's Ranch and it was in full swing. All of Ash's pokémon and past travel companions, like Misty with her older sisters, Brock with his family, Tracy, May, Max with their parents and Dawn with her mother. Even past rivals like Gary and Paul along with his older brother Reggie. There had been food for everyone to eat. Now everyone was singing happy birthday to the birthday girl while she blew out the candles.<p>

"Happy birthday to you."

"Happy birthday to you."

"Happy birthday dear Ash!"

"Happy birthday to you!" Ash closed her eyes and blew all eleven candles on the cake. Everyone clapped.

"What did you wish for?" Misty asked. It had been such a long time since Ash had seen the other girl and was glad she was here.

Ash just smiled. "I can't tell you," she said. "Or else it won't come true."

Misty just stuck her tongue out before she too, smiled. Misty was Ash's first girl friend (friend that is a girl- not what others might be thinking) and had been one of the first journey companions that Ash has ever had- at least human anyways.

Professor Oak clapped his hands. "Now everyone," he said. "Let us cut the cake. After that, Ash can open her presents."

Ash smiled. "Thanks Professor." She sat back in her seat with Paul on her left and Max on her right. The pieces of the cake was being passed down to everyone. Red velvet cake with a nice, cream cheese frosting. Yum. Ash happily took a bite and gave another bite to Pikachu. "Chaaaa!"

"It's good right?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded enthusiastically. Pikachu jumped off of her shoulder to mingle with the other pokémon that were at the party. Except for the ones that call Professor Oak's Ranch their home, it been a long time since he had seen his other friends.

"Happy birthday Ash," Max said.

"Thanks Max," Ash said. "How has everyone else back in Petalburg City?"

"Mom and Dad are okay," Max said, turning across to his older sister. "And May... is still forgetful as always."

May still up angrily. "Watch it Max! I heard that!"

Max and Ash laughed. Ash noticed Paul next to her, who hadn't seem to be talking with anyone at the party.

"Hey Paul-"

"Hey Ashy girl!" Ash turned to the voice. It was Gary. "Happy birthday!"

"Gary." Ash smiled. "It's good to see you. I thought that you would have still been researching with Professor Rowan in Sinnoh."

Gary shook his head. "Not this time around," he said. "This year I'm going to school."

"School?" Ash asked, confused.

"Yeah," Gary said, nodding. "Some place. I kind of forget the name. I got some letter out of the blue on my birthday. They want me to attend in September. I decided to go."

"Really? I actually got a letter like that too for my birthday," Ash said holding up the mysterious letter.

Gary looked at it. "I think I got this very same letter. Did they want you to bring a lot of weird stuff like a cauldron and other magic equipment?"

Ash quickly nodded. "Yeah. I still think this letter is some sort of hoax. It just sounded so weird. It was talking about magic."

Gary shrugged. "Ashy girl, after all of the weird and unexplained stuff we've all probably seen on our pokémon journeys, magic just doesn't seem too farfetched to me. If it is some sort of joke, they're taking it pretty far."

Ash shrugged. Gary had a point. There were things that Ash has seen that seemed both magical and unbelievable, but had turned out to be true. She decided to change the subject. Then she turned around, remembering Paul. "Wait Gary, I want you to meet-"

Paul was no longer there.

"-Paul?" Ash looked all over. _'Where did he go?'_

* * *

><p>Paul walked outside, to the back yard of Professor Oak's ranch, maybe hoping to get out of there for a little while. As much as he didn't want to admit it, the number of people and pokémon that were celebrating this made him really uncomfortable for some reason. If the party was anything to go by, Ash had no problem making friends. There just seemed to be so many people in there; more people than he felt comfortable with. And the space they were in was small; a lot smaller than Hogwarts, that's for sure. Paul sighed, frustrated. Why was he even here? He had been asking himself that all day.<p>

After their battle in Sinnoh, the rivalry between Ash and Paul had become friendlier and filled with more respect for each other. They may not completely agree with each others' methods of training or battling, but they could at least respect those differences. Paul's lost to Ash during the quarterfinals had been a blow; after all of the traveling and training that had been done, he had really wanted to win a League this time around. It had been disappointing, but not a complete waste.

That battle had changed something for Paul and his pokémon. Instead of insulting and degrading them, Paul had begun to praise them more. The treatment was still strange for all of them, but it did feel... alright. Ash may have had a point about caring for your pokémon after all. She wasn't pathetic like he had thought she was before and he had learned how to respect her.

Now with that in mind, he still couldn't understand why he was here. Sure they didn't butt heads like they used to, but Paul hadn't been sure that they were exactly friends; certainly friendly towards each other, but he wasn't sure if that meant that they were friends. Paul hadn't even heard from Ash since their battle that took place almost a month ago. So anyone could imagine his surprise when, out of the blue, Reggie had told him that Ash had called and _invited _them to her birthday party. So here he was, brother and gift in hand.

Paul closed his eyes. It made him want to rip his own hair out. Complicated things like this just don't happen when you're used to being a loner and now he didn't know how to react to it.

"I knew I would find you here." Reggie. Great. Now what does he want. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Why were you even looking for me?" Paul asked, completely ignoring the question. His eyes were still closed and he didn't even turn to acknowledge his brother's presence.

Reggie was used to the behavior. Typical Paul really. "Just wondering," he said slowly with a smile. "Ash was actually looking for you. She asked me if I had seen you."

Paul shook his head. It always seemed to come back to her, the subject of his confusion, a lot lately. Why did she even care where he was anyway? They were just rivals.

Reggie shook his head at his little brother's behavior. Anyone who didn't know Paul would think that he was some heartless kid who really didn't care about those around him, but that wasn't really the case. Paul just never really had friends his age. Even as a young child, it became quite apparent that people somehow made Paul uncomfortable. He could be polite for a little while, but then he would really need to get away and be by himself. Acting like that never really got Paul invited to play dates or parties before. Reggie was beginning to think that was the reason why Paul became so involved in training his pokémon the way he has. It could be so frustrating sometimes. Reggie sighed. "You should just go find her," he advised. "I think it would be really nice if you would at least socialize with her and her friends."

Paul stayed silent and didn't move a muscle.

"It's her birthday," Reggie reminded. "So go back in there and at least introduce yourself."

Paul sighed and opened his eyes. Damn Reggie, he thought. Reggie just won't leave Paul alone until he gave in. He angrily stalked back into the party. Reggie just looked back, confused. He hadn't actually thought that would work.

* * *

><p>The party had been really great for Ash. She was talking with her friends about the adventures she had in Sinnoh.<p>

"And there was this city," Ash started. "It was on our way to Veilstone City. This place was INFESTED with Gligar and the one Gliscor." Ash then told the story about how she, along with Pikachu, Brock and Dawn, had helped to drive the pokémon out of the city. Everyone had listened when she had told then how she had caught her Gliscor, when it was a Gligar at the time.

Dawn laughed at the story. "I remember that," she said. "It had been so scary at the time! Not to mention it really started going bad when Paul just caught that Gliscor."

Paul, who had been staring at his cake, looked up when his name had been mentioned.

Gary's eyebrow was raised. "Paul was there too?"

Dawn nodded the affirmative. "Yeah," she said. "We saw him around. The only thing he had been interested in at the time was catching that Gliscor. Didn't even seem bothered by the fact that the whole city was being overrun by those pokémon."

Paul's hand tightened around the fork in his hand. Ash noticed and quickly tried to divert the conversation.

"It all worked out in the end," Ash quickly added. "Hey why don't you tell about the time your mothers asked you to teaching those pre-schoolers Dawn?" Ash really hoped that would stop trouble from brewing. Dawn had no problem telling the story and soon, they all had finished eating the cake.

Professor Oak clapped. "Now it's time for the presents!" Soon, all of the presents were brought over to the table that Ash was sitting in with her friends. Muk jumped on to Ash before she began opening the presents, while Pikachu jumped on the table in front of them.

"I love you too Muk," Ash said with a smile. Ash knew that Muk had missed her and, considering all of the traveling she had done, it had been a while since she had seen those she had left in Professor Oak's Ranch. Everyone else near Ash backed away to give them more room. "I'll come play tomorrow okay?"

Muk, who seemed to be happy with that promised, slowly got off of Ash and stood with the rest of the pokémon. Now for the presents.

May pointed towards one of the presents. "Open that one!" she exclaimed. "This one is from us!"

Ash smiled at her friends enthusiasm. If one didn't know it was Ash's party, they would have thought May was the birthday girl. She was definitely excited enough to be. "Okay." Ash took hold of a large, square package with green polka dots and opened it. "Thanks!" Ash smiled as she pulled out a green messenger bag with a red pokéball symbol on it. "I needed a new backpack!"

May and her family smiled. "We're glad that you like it," Norman said. Ash pulled out another present. It was long with dark blue wrapping paper and light blue spots that looked like bubbles on it.

"That one is from us," Misty said, pointing to her sisters and herself.

Ash smiled. _'I wonder what this could be?'_ She opened the present, revealing a blue fishing rod. _'Not surprising, considering that Misty loves water pokémon.'_ "Thanks you guys."

Misty smiled. "I hope you catch a lot of water pokémon with that."

Ash couldn't wait to try it out sometime. She put it away, hoping to try it later. It went on like this for a while. Brock got her a book on different pokémon and how to take care for them on her journey. Her mother got her a red sweater for those times when it got really cold. Now she was opening the present from Gary and Professor Oak. It was a small box. Ash opened it and found two plane tickets. Ash was confused. "A plane ticket?"

Professor Oak nodded. "Yes, it's a plane ticket to Unova."

Ash and Pikachu shared a confused look amongst themselves. "Unova? I've never heard of it Professor."

Professor Oak nodded. "I'm not surprised," he said. "Unova is a region that is very far away; ot's isolated from all the other regions you have visited in the past."

Gary nodded smugly. "Yeah and there are all these pokémon that you've never seen before. All the pokémon there don't live in any of the other regions."

Ash's face lit up. A new region for Pikachu and her to travel in. "That's awesome!" She was already planing for her next journey and imagining

"Pikachu!"

Delia saw the look in her daughter's eyes and knew exactly what she thinking. Delia sighed. Time to burst the girl's bubble.

"You won't be able to travel the whole region Ash," Delia said. "You will only be able to go for a visit."

Ash gave her mother a confused a look.

Delia gave her a look. "You'll be too busy with school."

Ash and Pikachu instantly remembered and became extremely disappointed, while everyone else- human and pokémon extremely confused.

"Ash you're going to school?" Max asked. He was shocked, as was everyone else in the room. Everyone knew just how much Ash liked to travel and train new pokémon; to hear that she would give all of that up to attend some school was very hard to believe.

Ash nodded dejectedly. Delia decided to explain as nest as she could.

"Ash has been accepted into a school that is very far away from here," Delia said vaguely. She wanted to leave out the part that the school was a magical one, lest the others began to think that she needed to be committed.

"Really?" Professor Oak asked, "where is it? Gary is also going to be attending a school in a few months. They may be going to the same one."

Delia looked thoughtful. "I'm not really sure, but it did say that Ash needed to catch a train in London on September first."

Paul's eyes widened. _'They have to be talking about Hogwarts.'_ That was the exact date that Hogwarts student caught the train on Platform 9 ¾, almost every year. While it was possible that Ash and Gary- or whatever his name was- could be going to a completely different school, it just seemed like too much of a coincidence for him.

The others began asking questions about this school Ash was going to attend, but she and her mother offered little answers. Pikachu was a little more forthcoming when he asked by the other pokémon. The questions eventually stopped after a sharp whistle. All held their ears and looked at the source of the powerful sound: Professor Oak, who smiled serenly.

"Now that we have that settled," he began, signalling towards the birthday girl. "Ash still has presents that she really should open."

Ash grinned broadly. She grabbed one of the taller presents. It was covered white wrapping paper with red spots on it.

"That one is from me," Tracy said, waving his hand. "Hope you enjoy."

Ash quickly opened the wrapping paper, hoping to see exactly what was inside. She let out a squeal that was uncharacteristic of her. "It's a pokémon egg!" She yelled. Inside it's usual protective container, the egg was an ocean blue with two, sky blue spots. Ash instantly remembered that Misty's Azurill was hatched from an egg given by Tracy's Marill. She couldn't wait to know for sure.

"Glad you like it." Tracy smiled. "Just remember to take good care of it."

Ash quickly nodded. After opening as many present as she did, there were only a couple of them left. Pikachu jumped onto the table and pulled out one of the smaller presents in the pile. It was covered in a light lavender wrapping paper.

Reggie recognized it instantly. "That's Paul's present."

Ash slowly took it in her hand and studied it. She didn't know why, but it just seemed wrong to shake it like she had done with the other presents that had opened. She slowly unwrapped it, revealing the small white box. She took the top lid off and gasped. She slowly pulled out a beautiful silver bracelet. It had six clasps that opened and seemed to hold something. Ash briefly wondered if it was a charm bracelet.

Paul seemed to understand the confusion. "Those clasps are to hold your six pokéballs."

Dawn gushed. "I've heard of them," she explained. "There called pokélets. Their becoming a big thing for trainers in Sinnoh. Especially with the female trainers, but them in popular styles for boys."

Piplup closed his eyes and tapped his chest knowingly. "Pip lup."

Ash smiled. It sounded really useful to her. "Thanks Paul." She put the bracelet on her left wrist.

Paul felt his face heat up. He couldn't understand why he felt warm or why he had a fuzzy feeling in his stomach when she smile. He was just happy to be saved from those thought when she opened the last present from Dawn, a custom made friend ball.

Now that was the last of the presents, or so Ash thought.

Professor Oak pointed to something on the table. "You forgot one Ash," he said.

"What?" Ash looked and, like the Professor had said, there was a present one the table. She hadn't noticed before because part of it is covered by the discarded wrapping paper from the other presents.

"Pika?" Pikachu jogged over to it and brought it to his trainer. "Pika pi." Ash took the present.

"Thanks Pikachu." Ash turned the present in her hands. It was a small box; definitely bigger than the one the that the pokélet has come in. It was also more bright; bright enough to be considered garish with its bright red wrapping paper combined with the gold ribbon that had it tied together.

"Who did that come from?" Delia asked. Everyone looked around in confusion, but no one- human or pokémon took any credit for it.

Ash checked the present. She pulled the card and quickly read it.

**_Ash,_**

**_Happy eleventh birthday and congratulations for your acceptance to Hogwarts. Here is a present that I know you will take good care of it. I hope it will be helpful to you during your time in school. I'm really proud._**

**_S.B._**

**__**"Who's S.B?" Ash didn't know. She also didn't know how this person knew about that letter, but she shrugged. The note, as short as it was seemed sincere. Now she was curious about the gift that was inside. Ash untied the golden ribbon and opened the box. As soon as she did, she raised an eyebrow.

Everyone noticed the action. "What is it Ash?" Brock asked.

Instead of answering, Ash pulled out a plain red and white pokéball that was inside. What was so great about a plain pokéball?

"Maybe there's already a pokémon inside," May said in thought. That actually made a lot more sense. Ash threw it in the air.

"Whatever you are," Ash called out, "I choose you!"

The pokéball released a white light. Once the light disappeared, a small pokémon appeared. It was a pig-like creature. Short, orange and black. It blew out a flame from it's snout and smiled at everyone.

"TEPIG!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Ash! Please go downstairs and get the door!" Delia asked. "I have to get this pie I baked from the oven."

Ash clipped her pokéballs to her pokélet and ran out of her bedroom. The doorbell rang twice before the person who was ringing stopped. Probably waiting for someone to open the door already. "I'm coming!" she yelled. Pikachu jumped down the stairs, while Ash ran to catch up. Almost tripping on the last step, she managed to save herself from falling. The ringing then continued. "I'll be right there!" She managed to get to the door and quickly opened it, hitting Pikachu with the door.

"Pika!" He yelled in pain.

"Pikachu I'm sorry!" Ash quickly picked Pikachu up from the ground. "Are you okay?"

"Cha," he answered. Ash sighed in relief. She had been afraid that she may have hurt him. Pikachu jumped on her shoulder and she nor Pikachu noticed any of the figures standing in front of the house until one of them cleared their throat impatiently. Ash finally took notice of them, standing in front of their home.

One of them was a fairly tall man with long, greasy black hair. His skin was very pale, like his skin hadn't seen the sun in a very long time. He had a large, hooked nose. He wore what looked like a long, black cape. To be quite honest, Ash thought that this man standing in front of her door looked like a giant bat of some kind, but she wasn't going to tell him that. He didn't looked like he would appreciate the comment. One of the other figures was a pokémon that Ash didn't recognize. "I'm sorry," Ash said quicky. "Can I help you?" Ash quickly pulled out her new pokédex.

**Liepard- the Cruel Pokémon. Stealthily, it sneaks up on its target, striking from behind before its victim has a chance to react.**

"Well that's awfully rude of you Ashy girl." Gary got out from behind the two figures.

"Gary!" Ash yelled, exasperated. "I told you to stop calling me that!"

Gary shrug without a care. "Yeah yeah," he said, "now aren't you going to invite us in yet? It's awfully rude to keep guests standing in front of your door like this."

Ash stuck her tongue out. "No one considers you a guest Gary," she said to her friend and former rival Gary, before she finally addressed the man. "Sorry about that," she said, sheepishly scratching the back of her head. "Please come in."

The man frowned severely before he and then the Liepard walked into the house, followed by Gary.

"Who was that knocking on the door Ash?" Delia, followed by a Mr. Mime known as Mimey walked out of the kitchen with a few dishes. Delia noticed the guests that were now inside her house. "It's nice to see you Gary," Delia said, smiling.

Gary returned the smile. "Hi Ms. Ketchum"

"And I see you brought guests. Hello, my name is Delia."

The pale man nodded in acknowledgement. "Hello," he said for the first time. He voice sounded like a smooth baritone. "My name is Severus Snape. I am a Professor at Hogwarts."

Delia smiled. "Yes. The letter did say that someone from the school would be escorting us to purchase those school supplies." Delia and Mimey put all of the dishes on dining room table. "Mimey and I made a few things for lunch. Gary you're welcomed anytime. Professor Snape, would you like to join us?"

"I wouldn't want to impose..."

"Nonsense," Delia said. "It wouldn't be any trouble at all."

"Yeah," Gary said. "Nothing beats Ms. Ketchum's cooking." Gary, Ash and Pikachu sat themselves on the table. Severus and Liepard shared a look with each other, before both of them sat across from the children on the table. As soon as everyone was about to dig in, a loud, shrill cry could be heard from up the stairs, causing everyone to hold their ears to defend from the sound. Delia, Gary and Pikachu gave Ash a knowing look, while Professor Snape and Leipard seemed very confused by the sudden cry.

"It seems you forgot all about Azurill Ash," Delia sighed.

Ash laughed, scratching the back of her head, embarrassed. "Excuse me a moment." Pikachu jumped onto her shoulder before she made the trek up the stairs and to her bedroom. As the pair got closer to the door, the cries got louder. As annoying as the volume was, Ash had to hand it to Azurill for its powerful Hyper Voice. Ash and Pikachu hesitantly made their way to the bedroom. Right on the bed, Azurill was releasing blue sound waves. "I'm sorry Azurill!" Ash cried. "I didn't mean to leave you up here. You were sleeping. Can you please stop."

"Pika...," Pikachu begged.

Azurill stopped its painful cry with a few unshed tears in its eyes. "Azurill!" Azurill unleashed a barrage of bubbles in their faces.

Now here comes the bubbles, Ash thought. Some of the bubbles popped on Ash's nose, while Pikachu got his own face full of the attack. After being satisfied that the pair were punished enough, Azurill jumped into Ash's waiting arms and they were able to make it back downstairs. During the trip, Ash wanted to see what her upgraded pokédex had to say about Azurill.

**Azurill- the Polka Dot Pokémon. Its tail, which is packed with nutrition, is very bouncy like a rubber ball. On sunny days they gather at the edge of the water and splash about for fun.**

By the time all three made it, everyone had already started enjoying their food, even Liepard was enjoying some of the pokémon. "Wha?" Ask uttered, crushed that she hadn't been fed yet. Pikachu had the same reaction as she.

"Pika?"

"I can't have guests waiting for you to sort yourselves out," Delia pointed out knowingly. "So of course Mimey and I had to serve lunch without you." Ash and Pikachu sagged in self pity. "Oh stop acting that way. There is still plenty left."

Ash immediately sat at the table. Pikachu and Azurill immediately jumped off her to enjoy their own morsels of deliciousness. Delia felt a sweat drop, embarrassed by the way her daughter and the pokémon were acting in front of guests. Speaking if guests, Delia turned her attention to the professor. "So Professor Snape," she began. "What do you teach at Hogwarts?"

Severus swallowed some of his lunch before answering. "Please call me Severus madam. Professor is something that my students call me. And to answer your question, I teach Potions to all of the potions students," he answered. He spared a glance towards his future students. "And as a professor, I make sure all of my students understand that I have a high expectation of all of my students. They are to have a practical lesson making potions in my class, so they have to actually read the materials and come to me with their questions beforehand."

Both Ash and Gary gulped, having heard what their future professor said. Sound like his class would be a hard one.

Delia seemed really fascinated by it. "thank you for answering my question and please call me Delia. They will actually be making potions in your class? What exactly would be doing with them?"

Severus, already used to the questions asked by parents, answered. "Yes they will be making potions. It is much easier to teach the subject when the students are getting some practical experience in potion making. As for what will be done with them, it depends on the student's work. If it has been brewed correctly and they have gotten good grades, they will be used by Nurse Promfrey. They may be used to either treat students in her ward or to treat the pokémon that are under the Nurse Joy's care."

"Really?" Ash asked, fascinated. "That sounds awesome, isn't that right Pikachu and Azurill?"

Pikachu nodded. "Pikachu."

Azurill looked very confused. "Zurill?"

"I'm glad you're so," Professor Snape began, "enthusiastic about my class. But that is only if the potions you make are done correctly. I have a high expectation of my students, not just every student that is not in my house. If you don't meet my standards, then you may never make it to my NEWTS level class."

Ash nodded enthusiastically. Until she thought more about Professor Snape's statement. "Hey Professor, what did you mean when you were talking about houses?"

The Professor petted Leipard's head, which caused the cruel pokémon to purr with pleasure. "There are four houses in Hogwarts," Professor Snape. "Many centuries ago, Hogwarts was founded by four powerful founders. The houses are a representation of the traits that each founder believed were important. In order to keep up with that tradition, students are sorted into different houses in the beginning of their first year. Does anyone have the acceptance letter?"

Gary pulled out the letter from his pocket. "Here you are Professor," he said, handing the letter to the older man. Snape silently took the letter and held so that everyone would be able to see the document.

"Now if you look at the letter," Snape said, "there is this crest. It represents the four houses. The snake in the green background is is the crest for Slytherin. The Slytherin house follows the beliefs of Salazar Slytherin, who believed that cunning and ambition were the most important traits students should have. There was a rumor that he had his own secret chamber in Hogwarts, but it has never been found; probably just a rumor. I am the current Head of the Slytherin House. Slytherin corresponds with the magical element of water and our House ghost is the Bloody Baron."

"Wait!" Ash yelled. "There are ghosts at Hogwarts?"

"Aww what's the matter Ashy girl?" Gary asked in mock concern. "Afraid of some ghosts?"

Ash growled. "I am not!"

Delia frowned. "Now children," she started in a scolding manner.

"Please do not interrupt me," Professor Snape said to his future students. "And to answer your question Ms. Ketchum, yes there are ghost at Hogwarts. Not just ghost type pokémon either. There are ghosts of actual people in the school and for the most part, they are quite harmless."

"The part of the crest with the raven in the blue portion of the crest is the house of Ravenclaw. This house is based on the founder, Rowena Ravenclaw's belief that knowledge and was an important trait for Hogwarts students to have. The current Head of House for Ravenclaw is Professor Filius Flitwick, the current charms professor. The house ghost is known as the Grey Lady, who was actually Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter. It corresponds with the element of air."

"The third house is that is Hufflepuff. It was founded by Helga Hufflepuff and is represented by the badger behind the yellow background. It is said that she was quite wealthy and was actually the one who first brought house- elves to Hogwarts. Those in Hufflepuff believe that loyalty, patience and being hardworking are important traits to have. The current Head of House is the Herbology professor, Pomona Sprout and the house ghost is the Fat Friar. Hufflepuff corresponds with the element of Earth."

"Last, but not least is the house of Gryffindor." Snape concluded. "That house was founded by Godric Gryffindor. That house values blind courage. It was asked that Gryffindor and Slytherin had some sort of dispute that caused Slytherin to leave Hogwarts forever. The Head of House is a no-nonsense woman, Professor Minerva McGonagall. You may know her as the Deputy Headmistress and the one who sent your acceptance letters. She also teaches Transfigurations. The house ghost is called "Nearly Headless" Nick. I forget what his actual name is. For as long as I could remember, there has always been a soft of rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin. That house corresponded appropriately with the element of fire."

Both upcoming students listened in awe. That sounded so awesome and, soon they would be going to school there. Ash couldn't wait to get started. Soon she found herself finishing her second helping and impatiently waited for everyone else to finish their own respective plates.

Delia, raising an eyebrow at her daughter's actions. "Well," she stated, "if everyone is done, then we should probably start purchasing those school supplies. Gary, is your grandfather coming along?"

Gary wiped his face with a napkin. "No Ms. Ketchum. Gramps is too busy in his lab. Just us I guess."

Professor Snape got up. "Well thank you for the meal Delia" he said. "Now if we're all done, I will clean up the dishes and we will all go to Diagon Alley."

"Wait Severus," Delia said. "I can't allow you to do the dishes. You're a guest." And it was not polite to have your guests doing the dishes. Wasn't right at all.

Severus was having none of that. "I insist," he said. With a flick of his wand, all of the dishes flew into the kitchen sink, where the water was running and washing themselves. Once they were washed, everyone else watched in amazement as a towel dried the dishes and they were set in their proper places in the cabinets. "Much simpler this way I think," the spellcaster said. "Now if you would all please, we will head for Diagon Alley." Snape and Liepard walked out of the house. Everyone, dazed by the magic they had just witnessed, slowly walked out after them. Once everyone was out of the house, Snape took something out of his pocket. Ash was very disappointed to see that it seemed to only be a broken wrist watch. "Now usually I would have just apparated you all to Diagon Alley, but since you all live too far for that to even be possible. We will just have to use this." Snape held the watch towards the others. "Everyone hold on to part of the watch or each other." Everyone did exactly what they were told, but they were skeptical. Snape quickly said something, Ash thought it was something like... gumdrop? Then Ash felt this strange sensation; like she was being pulled down by her bellybutton. Soon, they were gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Ash fell on the ground hard. She could still feel Pikachu on her shoulder and Azurill in her arms. Apparating was a completely disorienting and confusing. She had felt like something was pulling her by her bellybutton. Yuck… Ash didn't even understand how she had been able to hold her pokémon as well as she had. Delia's hand reached down to help her up.

"What happened?" Gary asked from his own position on the ground. He kept gulping, almost as if his lungs couldn't get enough air. He slowly tried to get up, but he had to be helped up by the professor, who, along with his Liepard, seemed to be the only one of them who wasn't even affected.

"I apologize for the landing," Professor Snape said. "I used a Portkey to travel here. A portkey is a magical item that used to take people to a specific place once they touch the item, or when a specific password is said. I would have just Apparated, but it Diagon Alley is too far away from Pallet Town."

Ash shook her head slightly to get rid of the dizzy feeling. "What is Apparating?" she asked. That portkey stuff was not fun to do, but it is all certainly interesting.

"It is a mode of transportation that requires for the witch or wizard apparating to have a license to do so. You won't be able to even attempt it until you turn seventeen years old. If you ever feel the need to side apparate with someone who does not have a license, don't. Do. It."

"Why not?" Ash asked.

Delia gave her daughter a look. "Ash, Professor Snape is telling you not to do it. That should be enough for you."

Professor Snape gave a tiny smile. "That's quite alright Delia," he answered smoothly. "I believe they ought to know just how serious it is to apparate without a license."

"If you ever were to apparate without a license, you may be arrested by Aurors; the wizarding police. It is an offence that could get the offender either a fine of 30, 000 galleons, a type of wizard currency, or up to six months in Azkaban, a wizard prison, or both sentences at the same time. But the real reason one should never apparate without a licence is to make sure that the caster or their passenger does not get splinched."

"Splinched?" Gary asked, getting caught up in the explanation. This magic stuff was really fascinating.

"To be splinched," Severus explained, "is something that can happen during an apparition. If the castor's focus is off, then they may start leaving... pieces of themselves behind. In a less serious case, I have heard of a person who left a piece of his eyebrow behind; it made for a hilarious anecdote actually. But in a more severe case that I once heard of, another person lost an entire limb while apparating. It's very dangerous. Even with a license, people should not apparate while pregnant or with small children."

Both kids and the pokémon shivered in fright. Ash swore to herself that she would never, **ever** apparate if she could help it. She even noticed that Gary seemed to be checking himself, almost to see if he left a piece of himself back in Pallet Town.

"Anyway..." Delia began. "I think it's about time that we started looking for your school supplies now."

"Quite right," Snape said. "But first, we will need some funds. Gringott's Bank is the first place that we need to go." Snape walked confidently into a nearby bar. Once Snape and Liepard walked into the bar, Ash managed to read the name of the place- the Leaky Cauldron- before she, her mom and Gary joined him inside.

Snape walked towards a bartender. The man exchanged some words with Snape before the latter walked out the back of the bar.

"Are we completely sure that the guy hasn't lost it?" Gary asked skeptically.

"Gary!" Delia scolded.

The boy held up his hands in surrender. "I don't mean any disrespect Ms. Ketchum, but this doesn't look like any bank I've ever seen." No one said anything because they were too busy following Snape and secretly, they were all agreeing with Gary. Snape silently led them to the alley behind the bar, tapping on the brick wall in some sort of pattern with his wand.

The electric mouse pokémon "Pika pikachu?" What is Snape is doing?

"I have no idea Pikachu, maybe its some kind of magic." Ash continued to watch, fascinated by the man's action. After Snape stopped tapping and the brick wall seemed to open itself up. The four people and two pokémon watched the bricks moved and arranged themselves so that they were opened. Everyone- except Snape and Liepard obviously- watched in flabbergasted amazement, as a doorway appeared, revealing the hidden world behind it. Women with pointy hats shopping for supplies, men taking a look at the new books are showing off new spells with their wands. The children, most of them looked like they too were going to start Hogwarts, were travelling with their parents, picking up new Pokémon companions that will act as their new pets in while they were away to school, eating ice cream, and other fun looking things.

"Wow," Ash gasped in awe. Diagon Alley was amazing. She couldn't wait to explore the rest of this new place.

"You said it," Gary said looking around. "This place is something."

"It certainly has a lot to offer," Professor Snape said, "but doing anything else, we must go to Gringott's Bank." The Potion's Professor led them farther down the corridor and on the sidewalk on the right hand side. They continued to walk on the sidewalk until Snape stopped on a white, towering building. Ash could make out the words 'Gringott's Bank' carved right on top of the massive black doors. "There is something I should warn you about," Snape said absentmindedly.

"What is it?" Delia asked. Everyone wanted to listen.

Snape stared at them blankly. "When we go inside, everyone who works here will seem very strange to you, that is because they are goblins." Snape fixed a stare on the children. "I am telling you this because I expect you to be very polite. Be on your best behavior." Ash and Gary nodded. With that out of the way, they walked into the bank. They were met with quite the sight. The bank was amber bright with the light from expensive looking, crystal chandeliers. On top of the tall, marble pillars that were holding the building upright, gold, ornate clocks told time. The floors were made of white and black marble that formed strange shapes. The sight would have been enough to make others pause to study the beauty of it all, but something else took Ash's breath away.

Two long, high tables that were parallel of each other. As everyone walked in, they noticed these very short men in expensive looking suites. They looked about two feet tall, with scraggly hair, hooked, pointed noses and black, beady eyes glowered passes wrinkled visages. Their ears were big and pointed. Ash, Gary, Delia and the pokémon couldn't help but stare at the little men doing their paperwork.

"Pika…"

"Azuril…"

"I know," Ash whispered. Even though Snape told them that the people working at the bank were Goblins, it still did nothing to prepare them for the sight they were greeted with.

Gary looked at them. "So they're Goblins...?"

"Yes they are," Snape answered briskly. "Now stop staring at them. They aren't very pleasant to begin with and they have a terrible distrust for our kind. It's not wise to give them any reason to be more suspicious of us than usual." Liepard purred in agreement. Goblins were such unpleasant and distrustful creatures. Both of them led the others deeper into the bank and towards the teller's window front. The Goblin sitting behind the window fixed his black, shrewd, suspicious gaze on the group as they came closer.

"Good morning," Snape greeted politely. "I am here to make two withdrawals. One from the Hogwart's vault number 555 and another from a Ashley Black's trust vault." Ash wanted to ask exactly who Ashley Black was, but she didn't think that it was the best time to interrupt to ask this question.

The Goblin teller glared at the Potions Master. "I assume that you can produce the keys for those vaults."

"But of course." Snape pulled out two old fashion looking keys and pushed them under the window towards the Goblin. The teller took the keys and examined them for authenticity. Once satisfied, the teller gave the keys back to Snape. "If you come through the doors, HookClaw will escort you down to the vaults."

They walked away from the teller's window and towards the back doors. Just as they walked through the doors, the group found that an older looking Goblin with grey scraggly hair and large teeth came through his lips.

"You must be HookClaw I presume," Snape stated shrewdly.

"Indeed I am." HookClaw sneered at them. "Now if you follow me, I can escort you to your vaults."

They walked deeper into the bank, towards some train tracks. On the tracks, there was a train cart, ready to be used. HookClaw, Snape and Liepard were the first ones to jump in. Ash, Azurill and Pikachu followed, then Gary. Delia hesitated.

Snape, noticing the holdup, looked towards the concerned mother."It's the only way to get to the vaults," Snape explained. "It's a lot safer than it looks, I promise."

Delia nodded and then jumped into the cart. HookClaw pulled a lever next to the cart, causing the vehicle to go down the the tracks. The cart when slowly at first, then it went down a surprising steep slope. The cart went down accelerated drastically, causing everyone, except HookClaw, Snape and Liepard, to scream. The cart went down, flipped, continued to go down. It was like a rollercoaster, except without the safety mechanism to stop the ride. Eventually the cart seemed to stop in front of a vault. Ash's legs felt like jelly and both Gary and Delia didn't look any better.

"Azurill," the little normal- type whined. Tears were about to fall from her eyes. That ride had been much too scary for the little baby pokémon to bear. Ash comforted the newly hatched pokémon as best as she could.

"It's alright Azurill," Ash cooed to the little one. "I know that it was a pretty scary ride, but you're alright. I promise that once we're done, we'll go exploring. How does that sound?"

Azurill sniffled. "Azurill?"

"Yep," Ash promised. "We just need to go through this two more times and then we'll go exploring." Azurill coddled herself into Ash's chest.

"Pika," Pikachu sighed in relief. That was too much for his heart to take.

"You said it pal," Ash said in agreement. Ash liked rollercoaster rides like anyone else, but this was too much.

HookClaw hobbled towards the closest vault. "This is Hogwarts vault number 555." The Hogwart's vault, vault number 555, was obvious to spot. The huge vault doors had the school's insignia right on the school, and the number was etched into right above those gargantuan doors for everyone to see. HookClaw held a hand out towards Snape. "Now if you would please use the key," the Goblin sneered. "We'll be able to reach the next vault that you requested."

Snape nodded. He pulled out the key from his pocket, walked towards the vault and opened the vault. The vault doors slid open by themselves, revealing large stacks of coins. Both Ash and Gary admired the stacks, awed the great heights that they reached. The coins that made up these stacks were bronze, silver and gold. Snape grabbed a dark bag and walked into the the vault with Liepard. Delia, Ash and Gary also followed.

"Now this is the currency used in the wizarding world," Snape explained for everyone's benefit. "The Bronze coins are called knuts. They hold the least amount of values in our world. Twenty-nine knuts equals one sickle- the silver coins. Seventeen sickles equals one galleon- the gold coins," Snape explained. "This vault is one of the few vaults that belongs to Hogwarts. It's used for the muggle- born students or students who cannot lack the money to be able to buy their supplies. Because you Mr. Oak fit in this category, we are in this vault."

Ash raised her hand. "What's a muggle-born?"

"A muggle born witch or wizard is a magical being who were born into a non-magical or a muggle family," Snape explained. "There are also other groups of people, such as a squib, which is a person born from a magical family, or a pure-blood, who are people who are born from generations of witches and wizards.."

Gary frowned. "I don't want to use the school's money if I can afford my own supplies. Can't I exchange my money for all of this."

Snape nodded. "You certainly can do that," Snape answered. "This was only to be done the first year, to show you the bank. You may even set up your own account to use for school supplies, but you will have to do that with your grandfather because he is your guardian."

Gary nodded, appeased. It made sense, he thought.

HookClaw growled venomously. "Should we continue on to the next vault? Or shall we stand here for a little longer?"

"Yes," Snape answered stiffly. "I do believe that we are done in this vault. Now to the Black trust vault." All of them got back into the cart. Another bumpy ride later, the cart ended up in going deeper underground, the cart passed a waterfall, causing all of the passengers to be soaked. The kids, Delia along with Ash's pokémon were the only ones to cry out in protest. The cart slowed and came to a stop. As they all left the cart, Ash got a glance at the vault in front of her.

The first word that came to Ash's mind was formidable; the vault was very formidable indeed. It seemed like the vault was much bigger than the Hogwarts vault. The vault itself was barred closed by a long metal bar. Above the doors, there was a coat of arms with a Mightyena on each side of a black shield. On the shield, there were two stars, a white banner and a sword. On top of the was some ribbon- like embellishments with a larger star on top. Under the shield there seemed to also be a banner with words written inside. Ash narrowed her eyes to get a better look.

"Toujours pur…?" Ash read awkwardly. She wondered what it meant.

"Always pure," Snape answered. Ash jumped in shock, turning her attention on the Professor. "It's french. It means always pure, it's something of a motto of the Black family," Snape answered. Ash nodded.

HookClaw sneered. "In order to open this vault, the owner of this trust vault has to put her hand on the metal barrier and use the key at the same time." HookClaw smirked maliciously. "If none of you is the true owner of this trust vault, then the barrier will burn your hands and Goblin justice for thievery."

Snape calmly pulled out of the key. "The true owner of the trust vault is right here." Snape held the key out towards Ash. This gained a variety of reactions from everyone involved- The widening of Gary's eyes, Pikachu and Auzrill's surprised cries, Ash's mouth dropping. The only one who didn't react at all was Delia

Ash's eyes widened. "Me?"

"Yes," Snape answered stiffly. "The trust vault is for an Ashley Black. I didn't originally make the connection until a few moments ago, since you continue to go by the name of Ashly Ketchum. Your father came from quite a wealthy family and he had set up this trust vault for you just before you were born."

Ash shook her head in disbelief. "But-,"

"It's true Ash." Delia explained. "When I first dated your father, he never really spoke about his life. After a year of dating, he told me everything. His last name was Black, but when he left, I continued to use my maiden name, Ketchum." Delia sent a suspicious glare towards the Potions Professor. "What I don't understand is why you have that key. If anything, my husband would have left the key with me so that I could look after Ash's best interest."

"I received that key from Albus Dumbledore," Snape explained, "the Headmaster of Hogwarts. I received this key just moments before I came to your house. Your husband was quite close to him, and its possible that he gave the key to Dumbledore instead. "

Delia looked thoughtful. That did not sound like her husband at all. While she did remember him mentioning someone named Dumbledore, and the secret organization that they were apart of, she was confident that he would have trusted her to hold on to that key for _their_ daughter. And even if he had given the key to this Dumbledore, how come the man had never reached out to her or Ash in all of these years? _'The more I think about it, the more suspicious it sounds. Something is wrong with this and I don't like it.'_

HookClaw growled. "Enough stalling," the Goblin turned to the young girl. "If you are truly Ashley Black, then open the door." _'If you are not who you claim to be, then you and your accomplices will be left to our justice.'_

Ash sighed before walking closer to the door. She put her left hand on the metal bar in front of the door, and put used the other hand to push the key into the keyhole. As soon as Ash turned to key, something stabbed her left hand. Ash jumped away from the door with a cry. The metal barrier glowed a pale blue, disappeared and the vault doors opened wide. Her mother ran towards her. "Are you alright?" Delia asked in concern.

"Something cut my hand," Ash explained. Delia tenderly held Ash's left hand, inspecting the palm. At the very center of the palm, Ash's fingerless glove was cut opened, revealing the bleeding palm.

"It seems that you are Ashley Black after all," HookClaw stated. HookClaw looked toward the girl and her mother. "The metal barrier was only a precaution; it could only be opened by the blood of the child that the vault belongs to, in order to dissuade possible thieves. You only had to bleed on the metal bar once; now in the future you will only have to open the vault with your key."

Delia wanted to yell at the Goblin for hurting her baby, but she managed to reign in her temper. Once she thought about what the Goblin said, she had to agree that it made sense. "Ash does appreciate the precautions the bank has taken," Delia said politely. "Isn't that right Ash."

Ash nodded absently. "Yes thanks." Snape delicately pointed his wand towards her hand. The tip glowed, her cut was healed and her glove was fixed. Ash smiled. "Thanks Professor."

"Your welcome." Snape offered her a canvas bag. "Now I suggest that you start withdrawing however much you might need." Ash took the bag.

Now that her hand was healed, Ash finally looked into the opened vault. The treasures that were inside made the Hogwarts vault look pint-sized in comparison. Large hill mountains of coins reached almost as high as the ceiling. The vault also held books and papers in a neat pile closer to the door. There was so much in this vault, she honestly didn't even know where to start, so she started to carefully look at some of the items. "Gary," she called. "Help me out with some of this."

"Alright." Gary ran into the vault to help.

Delia tapped Professor Snape on the shoulder. "Severus."

Severus turned towards the woman. "Yes?"

Delia suddenly became nervous. _'There's still something not right about this Professor Dumbledore having the key to Ash's vault. I can't shake the feeling that there was something more going on than that.'_ Delia realized that she didn't know if Severus Snape could be trusted. "I want to ask HookClaw about Ash's finances. Not now because I don't think the kids can sit long enough after all this excitement to let that happen, but definitely at some point," Delia explained, "and I was hoping that you would sit in on this conversation. It's just that I don't know what the proper protocol is when asking about an account in a Wizarding Bank, and I was hoping that you would be able to help me in that aspect."

Snape nodded. "I understand," he said, "and I will help in any way that I can. I will give you my contact information just before we're done shopping."

Delia smiled. "Thank you."

Ash ran out of the vault. "I think I've got enough." Ash said, hoisting up the black bag with her money. Pikachu and Azurill were at her heels. Gary stood nonchalantly with his arms wrapped around his chest.

Snape nodded. "Then I see that there is no reason for us to stay any longer."

Liepard stretched his back and purred. "Pard."

HookClaw led the party back into the cart. After a much slower ride up the tracks, they managed to get back to the surface. They all thanked HookClaw before leaving the bank. Ash gasped when the bright lights flooded her vision. As interesting as that trip was, she was just relieved to get out of those tunnels. The girl ran out of the bank, laughing. It was time to go shop.

"Ash," Delia called out to her. "I know that this is your money, but that does not mean you get to just squander it. Do you even hear me? Ash!" Ash continued to run out of the store with Azurill in her arms and Pikachu running after her. Gary shook her head, unsurprised by his friend's childish nature. _'Typical Ash.'_

Ash ran out of the bank. Just as she was about to take in the sights. A feminine voice called out to her.

"Ash! Over here!" Ash turned to the voice, shocked to see the person here."

* * *

><p><span><strong>NOTE:<strong> That's all. I think it'll be fun just to let everyone guess to see just who that may be. Hope you all enjoy the update.


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